Winning a contest at age 13 to be a guest bell ringer for WWE:
“I had to write a letter to the news on why I loved wrestling, why I wanted to be a wrestler, who I wanted to meet, etc. I had won probably around 20 something tickets through the news contest and all the radio contests in town. I took all my neighborhood friends and went to the show that day. I got to be the guest bell ringer and got to go in the ring before the show when they announced my name. That was probably the exact point where I knew this was pretty cool and that I could do this one day. I believe it was Dr. Tom Prichard and Chris Candido of the Bodydonnas versus Barry Horowitz and somebody else. That was the match I was the guest bell ringer. I think the main event that night was Bret Hart versus Diesel in the steel cage.”

Going through WWE developmental:
“I was in Deep South Wrestling with Bill DeMott, and that was very aggressive and very boot camp style. That made me mentally tougher than anything. Maybe I didn’t get the ring psychology, but I got certain aspects down there that I wouldn’t change for anything. That is a big part of who I am. Then I went down to OVW with Al Snow. That was more psychology based. That was a little bit more on the mental side and more behind the scenes. That’s what I got from him more than anything, not much in-ring stuff. That’s probably on me, too, in that regard.”

“I was gone for about a year-and-a-half before I got signed by FCW. Dr. Tom Prichard was by far my best trainer, as far as understanding talent. He polished me and got me ready. Put them all together, and this is what you get. A lot of guys are rushed up way too early. You need to be put through some things before you are put up there. You have to know how to react and handle the pressure.”

Working as Skip Sheffield on WWE NXT with William Regal:
“That’s something you can blame Dusty Rhodes for. I was Ryback…It’s my name and what I believed in. Dusty Rhodes pushed to get that taken away and wanted me to do something different. Again, everything happens for a good reason. I don’t regret any of it, as it allowed me to do something a little different. I’m Ryback now, and that is pretty much all that matters to me. There is no looking back, as far as that is concerned.”